Historical Collections of The Hawaiian Islands -  Kalakaua -- Part 12

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Historical Collections of The Hawaiian Islands
" Keepers of the Culture "
A Study in Time of the Hawaiian Islands
and stories told by the ancients
Kalakaua -- The King  -- pt 12
Cabinet members
Sugar--

by Darlene E. Kelley
May 1, 2001

http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374

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Kalakaua -- The King  -- pt 12

Kalakaua's election had had a poor beginning, and he was unsure of
himself and his position. He stood on defensive ground to take his oath
of office. Nevertheless, he immediately took up his duties as executive
officer. He was described as calm and in control. When he arrived to
prorogue his first legislative assembly, his stature and air of
confidence made a striking royal portrait, in a plain black suit, with
star and ribband, and wore the decoration of a Cammander of the Order of
Francis Joseph of Austria.   
He was of large proportions, above the medium height; his copper-colored
skin offset by full length whiskers and moustache, dark, curly hair, and
fine white teeth. His mannerisms were natural, though dignified; his
voice was soft, almost musical. When he spoke English he evidenced a
slight New England accent. But most powerful was the character of the
eyes; accentuated with prominent bushy eyebrows, they blended the
diverse strains of his personality and race-- fierce, uncompromising and
powerful, though remarkably gentle, embodying the paradoxes of the
Polynesian blood that no haole could fully understand. 

When he entered the Legislative Hall, the audience arose while he
proceeded to the President's desk and remained standing while he was
presented . Prayer was offered by the Chaplain of the assembly, after
which the King presented his address to the assembly and took his oah of
office.

His first act as King was to appoint his brother, William Pitt
Leleiohoku, as successor to the throne, thereby restoring to the crown
the function of selecting kings. 

He quickly moved to select a new cabinet, one for which the newspapers
of the time, both pro and con, had nothing but praise. It was noted he
chose for his ministers representatives of Hawaiian, English, German,
and American nationalities.

Governor of Maui, Paul Nahaolelu new minister of finance, was one of the
few left of the educated petty chiefs having served under Kamehameha
lll. The seventy year old Nahaolelua held a family connection to Queen
Dowager Emma and was a just and proper concession to the native
Hawaians.

W.L. Green, minister of foreign affairs, was a English merchant. He was
praised for his culture and enterprising habits and believed to be
devoid of national prejudices.

Judge Widemann, minister of interior, stood out for his liberal views,
industrous habits, and understanding of the Hawaiians.

Judge Hartwell, attorney general, it was said the cabinet had been
strengthened by his superior fairness at the expense of the bench.

For his first justice of the Supreme Court, not surprisingly, he
appointed his old friend and mentor, Charles Coffin Harris. The press
paid high honor to Harris, and his second associate Judd, saying for the
first time since its organization iin 1846, all the seats of the Supreme
Bench were occupied by men bred to the law, in the maintenance of the
purity and integrity of the Supreme Court, the tribunal of last resort,
lied the security of independence, that the Hawaiians hold dear.

Feeling more confident, and cheered by the newspaper reports, he lost no
time in attacking a problem he felt was major-- one of which he had long
been aware but now had come to the public's attention-- that of military
and police protection for the country. Within two weeks he wrote and
proclaimed under W.L. Green as Secretary of War, seventeen rules and
regulations to govern the military forces of the kingdom. These were
followed the same day by Articles of War --rules governing the Royal
Guard and volunteer forces when on active duty. They were clear cut and
comprehensive. Kalakaua had a fondness for miitary matters, and he took
great pride in his Royal Guards.

Since 1863, Kalakaua had been married to Julia Kapiolani, the widow of
Benjamin Namakeha. But despite their many years of marriage, they had no
children. The new Queen accompanied her husband on a royal procession
through the kingdom, and everywhere they went, they received
enthusiastic welccomes. In speaking to the people, Kalakaua projected a
fatherly image and always dwelt on the declne of the Hawaiian race. He
hoped to restore new life and new vigor into the nation.

The sugar planters and other business interests lost no time in trying
to revive reciprocity negotiations with the United States. While
Kalakaua didn't oppose the treaty, he did oppose surrendering Hawaiian
territory to obtain one. In order to get stalled negotiations going
again, Kalakaua decided to visit the United States in November. After
sailing to San Francisco, the King and his royal party traveled by train
to Washington where they arrived on December 12. For ten days, Kalakaua
was treated to an almost continuous round of entertainment which was
highlighted by a state dinner with President Grant. While the King
didn't participate in the negotiations, his presence increased interest
in them. After leaving Washington, Kalakaua visited New York and several
New England and Midwestern cities before returning to Honolulu on
February 15, 1875. 

Although from all indications Kalakaua's trip had been enormously
satisfying to the haole, there was among the Hawaiians a question of
distrust regarding reciprocity involving Pearl Harbor and a closer
relationship with the much feared United States-- and anexation. The
Emmaites were particularly vociferous.

It fell to the King to quiet these fears, and he set out to do so. He
made another tour of the islands and spoke of his trip to the United
States. He also kept in mind the ever frugal foreigner who resented
every penny spent to furthur Hawaii as Hawaii.

For the sugar planters he stated : " In regard to the proposed treaty of
Reciprocity a subject in which we all feel deeply interested-- the
people and the government of America are favorable to it, and the work
of negotiaion is in the hand of our commissioners. The latest advice
which I have received give the information that the treaty has been
signed by President Grant and sent to the Senate for ratification."

When the Reciprocity Treaty went into effect on Sept 9, 1876, it helped
weld the bond between Hawaii's land holding sugar planters and the
United States governmet. Hawaiian resentment again raised its ugly head
and gossip grew out of such proportions that Kalakaua pleaded  with the
United States Commissioner to provide him with a detachment of Marines
to act as a bodyguard : The United States obliged him by landing 150
marines in Honolulu. These troops were also to be made available to
protect the newly acquired U.S interests at Pearl Harbor and to enforce
provisions of the treaty which prohibited the Hawaiian government from
assigning any commercial, political or territorial advantage to other
foreign powers.

Reciprocity caused a boom amoung the sugar planters. In 1875 there were
fewer than 20 sugar plantations. By 1880 their number had grown to 63,
and cheap labor was urgently needed to chop and mill thousands of acres
of ripe cane. The whites who owned the sugar colluded to fix prices and
to recruit labor from the Orient.

As more housewives sweetened their pies with Hawaiian Sugar, the islands
began to experience unprecedented prosperity. Sugar became such big
business that five factoring agencies established their operations to
take care of it. Two of these agencies, Alexander & Baldwin, and Castle
& Cook, were named for the sons of missionaries-turned-businssmen who
founded them. Theo H. Davies, Hackfeld & Company, and C. Brewer and
Company, founded by other businessmen, completed the entity known as the
big five. Later, a sugar executive explained, 
" When the firm of Castle & Cook  began, its primary activity was the
importing of merchandise and its sale--- Development of sugar
plantations was an expensive and risky business. Most early sugar
companies had to obtain financial assistance, and bank terms were most
drastic. Wholesale houses such as Castle & Cook stepped into the breach
and permitted certain plantations to issue drafts on them and to run
accounts for the merchandise they required. Soon Castle & Cook broadened
the scope of its activities to pemit it to manage, act as agents,
factors or trustees for estates, plantations, factories, persons and
companies.

An enterprising white need not have trusted his entire success in the
islands to his business skills. There were short cuts to power and
wealth and, according to one witness, some ambitious men, less inhibited
by scruples than others, took that route. " When a white man married the
right kind of a native woman, he was a candidate for public honors and
perquisites. and became one of the photographic celebrities of the
Kingdom. A shinning example was Charles Reed Bishop, who, after marrying
Chieftess Bernice Pauahi, climbed his way up the ladder of island
finance to become Hawaii's first bank owner. As such, he enjoyed a 26
year monoply on banking in Hawaii while "bank terms were most drastic."
Later, he became administrator of his wife's land holdings, the largest
privately owned estate in Hwaii and he finally rose to the position of
cabinet rank advisor to Kings. Having a virtual monopoly on Banking in
Hawaii, his fortune soared after reciprocity. 

Upon returning from Washington, Kalakaua felt his debt to the sugar
interests had been paid. He sought new friends to help reverse the
political tide which engulfed his Hawaiian subjects. The allies he found
were industria baron Claus Spreckles and Walter Murray Gibson, Chief
President if the Island of the Sea and of the Hawaiian Islands for the
Church of the Latter Day Saints. This trio would upend the smug world of
Hawaii's missionary business community and prolong the life of the
Hawaiian Monarchy.

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